Guard-rail clamp.



C. A. ALDEN.

GUARD RAIL CLAMP.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 1. 1900.

949,253, Patented Feb. 15,1910.

AMMEW u ammm (20,, I'NDIU-LIWUGHAF'HEniNASH uuuuuuu n c CHARLES A. ALDEN, OF STEELTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

GUARD-RAIL CLAMP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 1, 1909.

Patented Feb. 15, 1910.

Serial No. 487,150.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Crmnnns A. ALDEN, citizen of the United States, residing at Steelton, in the county of Dauphin and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in (iruard-ltail Clamps, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to guard rail clamps, my object being to provide a simple, durable and eflicient clamping device by means of which a railroad guard rail may be held in proper relation to a railroad main rail, and having provision whereby the guard rail may be adjusted toward the main rail to compensate for wear.

l/Vith this object in View, the invention consists in the novel construction and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the drawings s-Figure 1 a plan view of a. portion of a railroad main rail and a railroad guard rail adjacent thereto, the guard rail being held in place by my improved clamping device. Fig. 2 1s a vertical section on the line 22 of Fig. 1, including a portion of an underlying cross-tie supporting the rails. Fig. 3 is a perspective View of the spacing member of the clamp and the removable shims in separated rela tion to each other.

3 designates a portion of a cross-tie upon which is supported the main rail 4 and the adjacent guard rail 5. The main rail comprises a base 6, a web 7 and a head 8, the same being of usual and well known construction. The guard rail comprises a base 9, a web 10, and a head 11. The web 10 of the guard rail 5 is inclined upwardly from the base 9 of the guard rail toward the head 8 of the main rail to bring the head 11 of the guard rail into proper relation with the head 8 of the main rail and to permit the base 9 of the guard rail to be adjusted toward the base 6 of the main rail to compensate for Wear.

Arranged ,between the webs 7 and 10 of the main and guard rails 4 and 5 respectively, is a spacing member 12 provided with a flange 13 extending therefrom parallel to the web 11 of the main rail and a flange 14 extending from the member 12 parallel to the web 10 of the guard rail. The flange 13 is in engagement with the web 7 of the main rail and interposed between the flange 14 and the web 1.0 of the guard rail are removable shims 15.

Extending through the webs 7 and 10 of the rails, the flanges 1.3 and 14 of the spacing member 12, and the shims 15, is a securing bolt 16 provided with an integral head 17 and an adjustable nut 18, by means of which the parts may be drawn together and secured in place. Each shim 15 is bifurcated as at 22 to permit it to embrace the securing bolt 11), the width of the bili'ureation of each shim 15 being substantially equal to the diameter of the bolt 10. It will thus be seen that by loosening the nut 18, one or both of the shims 15 may be removed from the clamp without removing the bolt.

The flange 14 of the spacing member 12 is provided with an indentation 19, and the shims 15 are provided with indentations 20 and projections 21,; and the indentatimis 1t) and 20 and projections 21 are arranged in line with each other as shown, the projection 21 of the shim 15 next adjacent the flange 14 extending into the indentation 19 in the flange, and the projection 21 of the shim 15 next adjacent the web 10 of the guard rail extending into the indentation in the adjacent shim. It will thus be seen that the projections 21 engaging the im'lentations will prevent the withdrawal of the shims 20 from the bolt 16 and will also prevent the turning of the shims about the axis of the bolt.

hen the parts have been assembled as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and the nut 18 tightened upon the bolt 16, the parts of the clamp are securely held in position relatively to each other, and the guard rail 5 is socurely held in proper relation to the main rail 4. hen the head 11 of the guard rail becomes worn, thereby increasing the space between the head of the guard rail and the head of the main rail, the guard rail may be adjusted toward the main rail to compensate for such wear by loosening the nut 18 and removing one of the shims 15, whereupon the nut 18 may be again tightened to hold the parts in place.

I claim 1. The combination with the main rail having a base, a web and a head; and the guard rail having a base, a web and a head; of a spacing member comprising a flat substantially vertically-arranged body portion extending transversely between said rails, a flange extending from the body portion parallel to the web of the main rail and a flange extending from the body portion parallel to the web of the guard rail; and a bolt extending through said webs and said flanges and securing the parts together.

2. The combination with the main rail having a base, a web and a head; and the guard rail having a base, a web and a head; of a spacing member comprising a flat substantially vertically-arranged body portion extending transversely between said rails and having its lower edge engaging the base of the main rail, a flange extending from the body portion parallel to the web of the main rail and a flange extending from the body portion parallel to the web of the guard rail; and a bolt extending through said webs and said flanges and securing the parts together.

The combination of themain rail having a base, a web and a head, the guard rail having a base, a web and a head, a spacing member having an indentation therein and arranged between said webs, a shim interposed between said member and one of said webs and having a projection extending into said indentation, and a securing bolt extending through said webs and said member and said shim.

4. The combination of the main rail having a base, a web and a head, the guard rail having a base, a web and a head, a spacing member having an indentation therein and arranged between said webs, a securing bolt extending through said webs and said member, and a bifurcated shim embracing said bolt between said member and one of said webs and having a projection extending into said indentation.

5. The combination of the main rail having a base, a web and a head, the guard rail having a base, a web and a head, a spacing member having a flange extending parallel. to the web of the main rail and a flange extending parallel to the web of the guard rail, one of said flanges having an indentation therein, a securing bolt extending through said webs and said flanges, and a bifurcated shim embracing said bolt between the flange provided with the indentation and one of said webs, said shim having a projection extending into said indentation.

6. The combination of the main rail hav ing a base, a web and a head, the guard rail having a base, a web and a head, a spacing member having a flange extending parallel to the web of the main rail and a flange extending parallel to the web of the guard rail, one of said flanges having an indentation therein, a plurality of shims interposed between the flange provided with the inden-' tation and one of saidwebs, said shims having indentations and projections in line with each other and with the indentation in one of said flanges, and a securing bolt extending through said webs and said flanges and said shims.

7. The combination of the main rail having a base, a web and a head, the guard rail having a base, a web and a head, a spacing member having a flange extending parallel to the web of the main rail and a flange ex tending parallel to the web of the guard rail, one of said flanges having, an indentation therein, a securing bolt extending through said webs and said flanges, and a plurality of bifurcated shims embracing said bolt between the flange provided with the indentation and one of said webs, said shims having indentations and projections in line with each other and withthe indentation in one of said flanges.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

CHARLES A. ALDEN.

Vitn esses S. I. HARPER, E. M. VARE. 

